Limited access remote controllable visible record equipment



A ril 21, 1959 4 A. H. TOD ETAL E 2,883,250

LIMITED ACCESS REMOTE CONTROLLABLE VISIBLE RECORD EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 9, 195a 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 7/ to a: dfiiarl 47 15 2 05 w zl/alfer Z0. drag April 21, 1959 A. H. TOD Ei- AL LIMITED ACCESS REMOTE CONTROLLABLE VISIBLE'RECORD EQUIPMENT- Filed Jan. 9, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 152267250719? @Zlan 52.27062? Zl/ahar Z; (13" A ril 21, 1959 A. H. TOD ET AL 2,883,250

' LIMITED ACCESS REMOTE CONTROLLABLE VISIBLERECORD EQUIPMENT Filed Jan; 9, 195a 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I v A J Li wf/z azzbd 50 Malia?" Gray @mq Mb United States Patent LllVIITED ACCESS REMOTE CONTROLLABLE VISIBLE RECORD EQUIPMENT Allan H. Tod and Walter W. Gray, Charlottesvllle, Va., assignors to Acme Visible Records, Inc., Crozet, Va., a corporation of Delaware 6 Application January 9, 1956, Serial No. 558,073

2 Claims. (Cl. 312-19) This invention relates to visible record equipment, and more particularly to protective and limited access means for record panels swingably mounted in a linear series.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a housing or enclosure for a unit conventionally comprising a plurality of record strip retaining panels or frames pivotally engaged between a pair of horizontally extending retaining members in a linear series in close spaced juxtaposition, the pivotal axes of the panels being inclined to the vertical so that adjacent panels may be swingably separated in opposite directions and caused to rest in inclined open-book form with the aid of inclined end stop members, in which position the record strips, or the like indicia, mounted on the respective panels may be readily viewed.

It is an object of the present invention, as indicated, to provide a protective, limited access enclosure for a unit or stand of the class described, a portion of said enclosure, such as the front wall thereof, having mounted therein a transparent panel or panels through which the record panels may be viewed, the transparent panels forming doors or door components adapted to be opened for access to the record panels by authorized personnel, as

for the purpose of changing the indicia mounted thereon, and to be thereafter locked to prevent access.

As a characterizing feature of the present invention, remote control means are provided, in engagement with said enclosure, and extending through a defining wall thereof, i.e., its front wall, for swingably manipulating the contained record panels, so that one may have visual access to any of the data on any of the record panels, without having physical access thereto.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, its details of construction and arrangement of parts, will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the assembly of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the transparent door locking means of the cabinet of Fig. 1, generally illustrative of the portion shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged fragmentary detail of the section of Fig. 4, illustrative of the remote control selector means.

Fig. 6is a section on the line 6-6of Fig. 5. Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 generally indicates a rectangular enclosure or housing having a top 11, bottom 12, end walls 13-13, back 14 and front generally designated 15, suitably supported on the stand generally indicated as 16.

The housing 10 and its supporting stand component 16 may be made of wood or metal, and the front 15 of the housing is provided with transparent visual and man-' ual access means. That is, we provide a door or doors for access to the interior of the cabinet 13 which is provided with means for holding it locked, and which is provided with a transparent panel of conventional glass or a transparent plastic much as Plexiglas, so that the contents of the cabinet may be viewed even when the door is locked.

In the structure illustrated, a pair of transparent sliding half doors 17 and 18 are mounted respectively on rollers 19 and 20 for longitudinal reciprocation in the guide channels 21-21 at their lower ends and in the guide channels 22-22 at the upper ends, the outermost faces of these guide channels forming part of the front 15 of the cabinet. The guide channels 22-22 are secured, as by welding, in the angularrecess formed by the downward and return bent portion 23 of top 11 and the top stiffening channel 24, and the guide channels 21-21 are secured in the angular recess: of the tubular member 25, extending between and secured to the end walls 13-13.

The transparent panels 17 and 18 are of a joint length slightly greater than the sight opening of the front 15, so that when fully extended in opposite directions, their adjacent ends slightly overlap. The inner panel 17 is provided with lock means 26 slidably supported by the ratchet arm 27 engaged to panel 17 as by screw 28, said lock means being conventional for sliding glass doors, the component 26 when locked onto ratchet bar 27 forming a stop for panel 18 and thus preventing overlapping of the panels 17 and 18. When the lock component 26 is removed, the panels may be reciprocated by means of their handles 29 and 30 respectively.

Mounted and protectively housed within cabinet 10 is a visible record unit of generally conventional character, comprised of a plurality of record frames or panels 31 adapted to replaceably receive a plurality of flexible record strips 32 between and beneath the longitudinal flanges 33-33 thereof. It will be understood that instead of strips 32 other types of visible index and record devices may be mounted on said panels, and that similar flanges, or record strip or card mounting means, are provided on both of the opposed faces of the panels 31. These panels each include a pivot pin secured to or within one longitudinal edge providing the projecting: pintle pins 34 and 35, received respectively in a linear series of apertures in the angle bars 36 and 37. These bars extend longitudinally of the cabinet 10 land are secured to the forward inclined edges of a plurality of angular members 38. These members38 are secured, as by welding, to the support 39 extending substantially the full length of the cabinet, and in turn are secured to the back 14 of the cabinet by the channel members 40.

It will be observed that the lower support 37 is forwardly of the upper support 36, so that although the panels are pivotally engaged in 'a linear series, they incline" at a small or acute angle to the vertical, so that when swung to the right or left past the vertical, they will tend to fall to either the right or left to the limit of the incline to the horizontal of the next adjacent panel, dependent in turn on the incline of a pair of endmost panels not shown, each fixedly engaged or positioned at an angle to thatformed by a plane passing through the pivotal axes of the group of panels. Normally when it is desired to view indicia on a panel, the selected one is engaged manually, suitably by an index tab 41, and swung to either the right or left, depending on which face the desired data lies, the panel, or group of adjacent panels, falling to the limit of an inclined end stop, the assembly taking 'an inclined open-book form for easy viewing and freeing the hands of the observer, for the purpose, for example, of copying or making notes of the index data, suitably on a work leaf 42 shown telescoped horizontally beneath cabinet 10 in Figs. 1 and 4.

In the present instance, however, direct manual manipulation of the swingable record panels 31 for the purpose of viewing a selected one is prevented when the sliding doors 17 and 18 are extended and locked. In order to permit such swinging of the panels 31 for the purpose of visually examining one or both faces of any desired panel, the present invention provides remote control means comprised of the selector arm 43 projecting through the longitudinal slot 44 in the cabinet front portion 15.

This selector arm is retained for limited pivotal movement in a vertical plane by means of the horizontally extending pivot 45, between the cars 46 above the carriage 47, and for reciprocal movement longitudinally of said cabinet to the limits of slot 44 on the carriage 47. This carriage is provided with four rollers or bearings 48, each of which rotates on a vertical axis, to thereby facilitate translation or sliding movement of the carriage within the confines of the inturned flanges of the horizontally extending retainer or guide 49. The web of guide 49 is secured to the structural component 50, suitably formed as illustrated by a pair of angle bars welded together as at 51, one downwardly depending leg forming a component of cabinet front 15 and the other a support to which the cabinet base portion 12 may be secured as at 52.

The inner lever arm component of selector 43 terminates in the upwardly projecting tapered or cam-like finger 53, and the selector may be pivoted as a whole on its axis 45 so that its inner portion will be inclined below the horizontal within the angular area formed between the cabinet bottom 12 and the bottom edges of record panels 31. In this position it will be noted that the tip of finger 53 is also clear of the bottom edges of frames 31. Preferably this inner arm portion of the selector is longer and heavier than the outward extension so that the selector normally assumes the inwardly-downwardly inclined position as shown in Figs. 1, 4 and In operation, when it is desired to view a selected panel, as determined for example by the index tabs 41 carried by the panels, the outer knurled portion of selector arm 43 is grasped manually and bodily shifted to the right or left on its carriage 47 to the desired position while holding said outer end tilted upwardly so that the finger 53 remains clear of the panels. When the finger 53 reaches desired position the outer arm portion is pivoted downwardly to the limit of abutment piece 54 on carriage 47 which causes finger 53 to move upwardly between an adjacent pair of parallel panels and to partially urge one away from overlying position on another by a cam or wedge action. Further actuation to complete the angular spacing of the panels newly desired to be viewed is then accomplished by bodily shifting selector 43 on its carriage 47, while continuing to hold the outer selector arm portion depressed, until the panel or panels being swung pass the vertical and drop by gravity to the limit of the opposed end stop and an incline to the horizontal opposite to that on which the panel or group of panels previously rested. At this point the selector arm may be released, the finger 53 dropping from the dotted elevated position shown in Figs. 1 and 4 to the out-ofengagement position shown in full.

As an aid to viewing the indicia on panels 31, the cabinet may include one or more lamp units 55 secured adjacent the top interior as on member 24.

It will be understood that although we have shown mounted on said stand on axes inclined to the vertical in a linear series, said stand comprising spaced parallel horizontally extending pivot-engaging bars and whereon adjacent panels are adapted to be angularly spaced to the limits of opposed inclined end stops for visual inspection of indicia supported on the opposed panel faces, a pror f tective rectangular enclosure cablnet for said stand comprising a front defining wall including transparent door and lock means therefor and longitudinally shiftable remote control means extending through a longitudinal aperture in said cabinet front wall adjacent the base there? of having a selector arm mounted for pivoting in a vertical plane terminating in an upwardly projecting finger inwardly of said cabinet for insertion between a selected adjacent pair of said panels for thereby angularly swinging them apart.

2. Limited access, remote controllable, visible record equipment comprising a protective enclosure cabinet having a front wall comprising a pair of slidably engaged transparent panels for viewing contents of said cabinet and for permitting manual access thereto together with lock means for limiting sliding movement of said panels and providing a closure for the cabinet, and a plurality of record panels disposed in said cabinet pivotally mounted on axes inclined to the vertical in a linear series on a supporting stand secured to said cabinet, said stand including a pair of spaced parallel longitudinally extending pivot-engaging bars and whereon adjacent panels are adapted to be angularly spaced for visual inspection of indicia supported on the opposed panel faces, the lower edge of said panels inclining to the horizontal and providing a generally angular area adjacent the base of the cabinet Opening toward the front thereof and longitudinally shiftable remote control means extending through a longitudinal slot in said cabinet front wall adjacent the base thereof comprising a carriage mounted for longitudinal reciprocation on the defining base of said slot, a selector arm projecting through said slot and pivotally mounted on said carriage on a horizontal axis and tiltable thereon in a vertical plane, and an upwardly projecting,

terminal finger carried by the selector arm and disposed in said generallyangular area in the cabinet for insertion between a selected adjacent pair of panels to thereby angularly swing them apart.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

